For the 42nd consecutive year, the Minnesota Orchestra celebrates the holiday season with performances of Messiah—Handel’s beloved masterwork for chorus and orchestra. Led by Grammy Award-nominated conductor Stephen Layton, making his Orchestra debut, the performances feature soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme, mezzo Jennifer Dudley, tenor Thomas Cooley, bass-baritone Nathan Berg and the Minnesota Chorale, the Orchestra’s principal chorus.
The concerts are held at three Twin Cities locations: at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis on Wednesday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m.; at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Thursday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m.; and at Orchestra Hall on Sunday, December 16, at 2 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $20 to $49. In addition, the Orchestra and Chorale present a special Messiah sing-along concert at Orchestra Hall on Sunday, December 23, at 2 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $10 to $25 (refer to separate release for full details).
Handel’s Messiah: An oratorio for the ages
It took George Frideric Handel only 24 days to write Messiah in 1741. Though the work was originally composed for the Easter season, it has become a Christmastime icon and one of the most popular orchestral and choral works of all time. Several passages have attained worldwide fame, including the “Hallelujah” chorus, which prompted England’s King George II to rise to his feet during a 1743 performance, and “For unto us a child is born.”
The Minnesota Orchestra first performed Handel’s Messiah on Christmas Day 1903, just seven weeks after its inaugural concert. Since 1966 the ensemble has presented the work annually with many distinguished conductors and soloists.
The Conductor: Stephen Layton
British conductor Stephen Layton is chief guest conductor of the Danish Radio Choir, artistic director of the Holst Singers and director of Polyphony, a choir he founded in 1986. His recent CD of Bruckner’s Second Mass, recorded with the Britten Sinfonia and Polyphony, was hailed by Gramophone as “a Bruckner disc for the ages.” Prior albums earned Layton Grammy nominations in 2006 and 2007.
Soloists and Choir: Chandler-Eteme, Dudley, Cooley, Berg and Minnesota Chorale
Soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme, mezzo Jennifer Dudley, tenor Thomas Cooley and bass-baritone Nathan Berg have each performed with many of the world’s top orchestras. Dudley and Berg are making their Minnesota Orchestra debuts with these concerts. Chandler-Eteme appeared in the Orchestra’s 1997 rendition of Messiah, and Minneapolis native Cooley sang Mozart and Bach works with the Orchestra in 2004.
The Minnesota Chorale, the Orchestra’s principal chorus since 2004, is in its 13th year under the leadership of Kathy Saltzman Romey. Its upcoming performances with the Orchestra include a program of Brahms works under the baton of Helmuth Rilling (May) and Stephen Paulus’ oratorio To Be Certain of the Dawn (February). This is the 17th year the Chorale has performed Messiah with the Orchestra. -- www.minnesotaorchestra.org
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